This invention relates to a repeating firing system for weapons with barrels capable of being elevated, the barrel with its elevating mechanism being mounted upon a horizontally traversable lower gun carriage which is capable of recoil movement upon the firing of the weapon. The firing operation is initiated by a firing device which is disposed on the barrel of the weapon, actuation of the firing device operating a mechanical or electrical ignition device for firing the weapon.
West German Auslegenschrift No. 1,149,276 discloses a cocking trigger provided on a gun and actuated by a triggering cable. Such device is mounted in a breach block unit and is equipped with a triggering lever which serves to rotate a triggering shaft, the triggering lever being deflectable by a triggering cable so as to rotate about an axis transverse to the axis of the bore of the weapon of the barrel.
The prior cocking trigger referred to above is particularly disadvantageous when it is mounted on a gun provided with a seat for a gunner, such seat following the traversing movement of the gun carriage. When the elevation of the gun barrel changes from its lower to its upper position, the position of the firing or triggering lever with respect to a sighting or similar device mounted upon the gun carriage is changed in such a manner that it is difficult to coordinate the operation of the triggering lever with the sighting end aiming of the weapon required of the gunner.
The triggering line or cable in the firing system according to the above-referred to Auslegeschrift No. 1,149,276 can be replaced by a transmission means such as a Bowden cable which can be operated from the gunner's seat. Such modified system, however, has the following drawbacks: The length of the Bowden cable has to be extremely variable because of variation in the angle of elevation of the gun barrel, which varies the distances to be bridged; this entails a considerable cost. The Bowden cable would have to be made sufficiently long so that its effective length could be varied in the required manner, as by means of deflections and reverses over the length of the cable. This, however, would only increase the force required to operate the triggering or firing lever, particularly at low temperatures, and also makes such Bowden cable more liable to failures and breakdowns. Maintenance of such system would thus be quite substantial.